The Elite
by Casteline
Summary: On Hiatus. They needed someone to track down the remaining Death Eaters, someone to gather what remained of Voldemort's forces, to stop them from electing a new leader and starting over. Thus the Elite was formed.
1. Prologue

This started with a challenge. Because I can't turn them down. At first, I had thought it was going to be nearly impossible. The task asked of me was not one I particularly liked. But once I figured out what I was going to do, I started writing and just couldn't stop. Thus came Emerald. After writing Emerald, I thought it would make an interesting series. So I wrote this little prologue, and turned Emerald into the first chapter.

Honestly, this is the last thing I need. I already have a dozen stories I'm working on, and I really need to catch up on my summer readin, but I couldn't help it. It was begging to be written.

**Note**: This has some odd pairings. I don't like canon. Get over it.

**And**: It takes place after Voldemort's downfall, but does not follow everything that happened in the last two books, mostly pertaining to relationships, though also who died and who didn't.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own. The lovely Jo owns it all. Except a few nameless characters and one character that will not be revealed for several chapters.

* * *

The Elite

_In the six years since the downfall of the Dark Lord Voldemort, who'd terrorized the Wizarding World for far too many years, much has changed. A new Ministry has been formed, a new Minister elected by an overwhelming number of votes._

_As this new Minister worked to rebuild the Ministry, as well as the Wizarding community, it is believed that he got together with the newly appointed head of the Aurors department._

_They needed someone to track down the remaining Death Eaters. What had remained of the Ministry and Order of the Phoenix had been able to capture most of them, but still, far too many had escaped before they could be captured. There were even a few they had no proof had ever worked for Voldemort, and therefore, they could pin no charges that would stick. They needed someone to gather what remained of Voldemort's forces, stop them from electing a new leader and starting over._

_Thus, The Elite was created. They were, as the title suggested, the best of the best. They received training like no Auror before them. Their mission was to take down every remaining threat to the Wizarding world, no matter what it took._

_There were major upsides to being Elite._

_Like the fact that, outside the group itself, only about ten people even knew of the Elite's existence. And the majority of them wouldn't be able to point out a single on of them in a lineup._

_The fact that you know, no matter what you're doing, no matter where you are, you know that someone's always got your back._

_The fact that just saying your name can get you into the Ministers office, without question. Even if it is only to ask what his favorite color socks are._

_The fact that you could go anywhere in the world on a dime._

_The fact that you save the world on a weekly basis. Or at least the tri-city area._

_There were, however, downfalls as well._

_Like the fact that your entire life is a lie._

_The fact that no matter where you are, no matter what you're doing, someone knows about it._

_The fact that you get woken up at three in the morning for a mission that will be difficult to explain to your boyfriend at a later time._

_The fact that you aren't allowed to tell anyone what you really do for a living. Doing so could risk everything._

_The fact that you don't get paid nearly enough._

_The Elite. You don't know their names. You never see their faces. But you know they're there, watching out for you._

_***_

"This was intentional?" the Minister asked, allowing the newspaper to fall to his desk.

"Yes sir," the blonde woman said, standing in an almost military manner. "I spoke with Magenta; she agrees that slipping something to the Quibbler every now and then will provide a good cover. This is only a pre-copy. We can have the article removed before anyone has a chance to read it."

The minister thought for a moment, scanning the passage once more. "No. Leave it. It's good. No one will take it seriously from the Quibbler. It's the perfect cover."


	2. Emerald

**Disclaimer**: I don't own, yada yada yada

_Enjoy_

* * *

Emerald

She felt as though she'd been getting ready for hours. Back and forth from the walk-in closet to the bathroom, then to the closet again. She'd tried on six different dresses, two different blouses with five different skirts and slacks. She tired of the ritual.

With a sigh, she threw the purple blouse and jeans to the pile on the bed and retrieved the second dress she'd tried on. Perhaps it wasn't as awful as she'd remembered.

She looked into the mirror with a grimace. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. She only had so much time.

Next order of business: her hair and makeup.

"You look nice," a voice said, walking up behind her some twenty minutes later.

"Eh," she replied, mildly disgusted with the way she looked. She had finally settled on a knee length, low cut, spaghetti strap, royal purple dress. Her hair was up in a twist, leaving several strands hanging down to frame her face. Her make up was modest but elegant.

"What's the occasion?" he asked, running a hand through his flaming red hair.

"Erm," she said offhandedly. "Business meeting."

"You own a book store. What kind of business meeting could you possibly have?"

"There's this chain that wants to purchase The Shelf and add it to their chain," she lied with ease. "We're going to discuss options."

"You're not honestly going to let someone buy it, are you?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist as she fiddled with her hair once more. "You look fine."

"Of course not Fred. I spent two years trying to get that place. I'm not giving it up just like that. I'm just curious to see how much they are willing to give me for it." She sighed, but gave in. She didn't look good, but it would have to do.

She turned and walked out of the bathroom and back into the closet.

"I didn't think you owned this many dresses," Fred said as he noticed the pile of clothes that had taken over the bed. "Please don't tell me you're going to try more."

"Which one?" she asked, exiting the closet with a pair of heels in each hand, one purple, the other black.

"The black," he said without hesitation. He honestly couldn't have cared less either way, it was considerably easier to just answer quickly.

"Purple it is," she said, placing the black neatly back in the closet and pulling the purple on.

"Why do you ask my opinion if you're going to completely ignore it?" he asked, shoving the clothing to the side to make room for himself on the bed.

"To remind myself that I did not marry you for you _impeccable_ sense of style," she offered.

"Hey, I'll have you know my style is perfectly capable of being pecked," he retorted, sticking out his tongue.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she pulled a long black coat over the ensemble. "How do I look?" she asked, giving a quick twirl.

"I already told you," Fred smiled. "You look amazing." He stood back up and walked over to her. "You look amazing," he said again, kissing her lightly. "Now, you go have a great day and show those idiots the Shelf is yours and yours alone. No one can take it from you without killing you first."

"I wouldn't give them any suggestions," she smirked. "You wouldn't believe the things people are willing to do to get what they want. I've got to go, or I'll be late. Have a good day in the shop." She gave him a quick kiss and hurried out of the bedroom, then out of the apartment.

Fred rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he watched her tear out of the place. That woman could be such a workaholic.

He turned to the mirror. No one would mind if he showed up to the joke shop in his cupcake pajamas, right?

Who was he kidding, he was the owner. He could show up stark naked and everyone would just have to deal with it.

***

The current Minister of Magic had just entered his office to check in with his secretary, a tiny Korean woman whose name was Toshiko Ash, but for reasons beyond the Minister, she preferred to be called Ish.

"Good morning Minister," she greeted excitedly.

"'Morning Ish," he replied. "Ever think you should lay off the caffeine a bit?"

"Oh no sir," she said, shaking her head frantically. "Without coffee I just stop." She tilted her head to the side, her eyes closed and her tongue sticking out; the universal sign for 'dead'.

Her couldn't help but let out a laugh. He had to admit, she kept things interesting.

"What do you have for me today?" he asked, still smiling.

"Letters from Minerva McGonagall, Ipsy Bagpipe, hmm, odd name, Fred and George Weasley," she said, flipping through the various notes she'd written on multi-colored post-it notes. He liked that she used a muggle filing system, even if it was a bit scattered. As long as someone knew what was going on, it was all okay. "And Oliver Wood. You know Oliver Wood? He's like the greatest keeper Puddlemere's ever had!"

"Yeah I know him," he said, shaking his head as he took the envelopes she handed him. "I'll see if I can get you tickets. Anything else?"

"The head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office wants to speak with you at your earliest convenience and the head of the Auror's office is waiting for you in your office," she finished with a smile. "I told her you weren't here but she wanted to wait."

The Minister's grin grew as he walked toward the double door's leading to his office. "Thanks Ish," he called, walking in and locking the door behind him.

"Well, if it isn't the youngest Minister of Magic this world has seen," the woman in his office greeted with a smile. "Had your glass of corruption yet today?"

The Minister laughed lightly, throwing the envelopes onto his desk to be opened later. He then turned to the woman and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer until they were only a few inches away.

"What can I do for you today Nymphadora?" he asked.

"Don't call me Nymphadora," she pouted, giving him a quick peck on the lips. Then she pulled away and plopped down in a nearby chair. "You wanted an update on the state of affairs," she said, sitting down in one of the chairs and returning to a more professional appearance.

The Minister sighed and sat down in the oversized chair behind his desk. "Yes, how are things going?"

Tonks shrugged. "We've received word from Emerald."

"Anything new?"

"Unfortunately, no. She thinks she might be able to get some information today though."

"She's going out again?"

Tonks nodded. "Third time this month. She thinks we're close."

"She's got back up, right?"

"Duh. We're the elite. You think we made it this far by being utterly incompetent? Royal, Orchid, Saffron and Coral are tailing her. Everything will be fine." She glances at the stacks of parchment on his desk. "Busy day?"

The Minister sighs and lifts one of the many yellow envelopes he'd received from Ish. "Like you would not believe," he replied, skimming the letter from the Hogwarts Headmistress. "How did I get roped into this position? And why did I go along with it?"

Tonks threw her legs over the arm of her chair in a child-like manner. "You saved the world," she said. "And that, Harry Potter, means something to the Wizarding community."

***

A tall blonde woman in business attire and dark shades rounded the corner behind him. He couldn't help but feel like she was following him. He glanced into the reflective glass windows of the storefront next to him as she turned into the department store.

She wasn't following him. No one was following him. It was just only nerves flaring up. They did that now and then.

He arrived at the café and began searching the glass-topped white patio tables that were scattered in front of the tiny shop. He was looking for someone.

He spotted several regulars he'd seen there before: the strange woman with large, bug-like eyes and her girlfriend. The leggy brunette who always flirted shamelessly with the waiter. The elderly woman who constantly thought people were talking to her, when in reality, no one was.

Finally he spotted the light brown updo and promiscuous purple dress that belonged to the woman he was meeting.

"Hello darling," he greeted.

She stood and turned to face him, grinning widely. "Hi."

"How are you?" he asked, giving her a quick kiss before sitting down across from her.

"Wonderful," she said, still smiling brightly as the waitress approached.

"Your usual?" the stumpy redhead asked. He couldn't help but think for a moment that she looked familiar, like he'd seen her somewhere before.

"Yes please," Hermione said politely as he shook off the odd sensation. He was being crazy. He probably had seen her. She had clearly been their waitress before.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" She asked, turning back to him.

"I thought we'd take a stroll through the park and pretend we're an old married couple," he suggest with a grin, revealing that he was joking.

The thought couldn't help but make Hermione giggle. "Sounds like fun," she said, grinning. "And after that we can go by a teeny little cottage in some small town where the neighbors walk around town in their underwear." The waitress had returned with their breakfast and drinks and was now giving Hermione a rather odd look.

Hermione and Draco started cracking up once she walked away. They found something about the scene utterly hilarious.

***

Several hours later, the duo was walking through the park, as promised, each with a coffee in hand.

"Does it ever freak you out?" Hermione asked suddenly as they watched a rather awkward man trip over a fire hydrant as he walked his dog though the park.

"What?"

"Us," she stated simply. "I mean… we're the unlikeliest of a couple, you know?"

"That's what makes it fun though, isn't it?" he asked, kissing her intensely.

"I suppose you're right," she said moments later.

"So," he began. "Seeing as you love me and all…"

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I've got this party to attend tonight. The host is an old friend and I'd really like you to meet her."

"Her?" she asked. "You're not having an affair behind my back now are you?"

Draco let out a laugh. "You're one to talk."

"Hey now," she said. "I told you, I don't love him."

"Then why are you still married to him? Why can't you just break it off and marry me? We could be so much happier and we wouldn't have to keep hiding this from everyone."

"I told you why I can't break it off with him," she said. "I could handle his devastation, but I don't think I would survive the entire Weasley clan and their wrath at finding out I left their precious son for Draco Malfoy, Death Eater extraordinaire. Besides, who says we can't be happy," she added seductively.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as they continued walking. A tall blonde woman in a bright green sweat suit jogged passed them, speaking loudly to no one in particular.

"Emerald. The Sparrow is in the Square."

"That was odd," Hermione said, laughing. "I wonder who she was talking to."

"She sounded like some sort of muggle spy or something," Draco laughed with her. "Who comes up with crazy codenames like Emerald and Sparrow? They're not even discrete."

"Crazy," she agreed. "They may as well put a giant neon sign announcing 'Hey look at me, I'm trying to be covert!' Ridiculous. Oh no."

"What?"

"Oh no, oh _no_."

"What?" he asked again as she dragged him across the park and behind a large boulder.

"Fred is here!" she exclaimed quietly.

"What?!" he asked once more, peaking around the boulder to get a look of his own.

"Don't!" she said, pulling him back.

"I didn't-" he began, but was cut off as her lips crashed into his. His hands eased around her waist as they kissed passionately. He briefly thought that maybe the middle of a very public park wasn't the best place for such a display, when suddenly, he was being wrenched away from her.

Fred Weasley let out sound of disbelief at the scene he found himself in.

"Fred," Hermione said, unsure what to say.

"Don't," he said, utterly disgusted. "Don't even try." He shook his head and turned to walk away.

"Fred, _wait_!" Hermione shouted, grabbing his arm to stop him. "You don't understand!"

"I understand just perfectly," he said with a snort. "I mean, why settle for just me, when you could have me and this… this _Death Eater_."

"Fred," she began.

"No. Just _stop._ I'm gone. I hope you're happy."

Hermione and Draco watched as he walked away. Draco couldn't help the accomplished smirk that appeared on his face.

Hermione's face, however, was plagued with sorrow. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

"It's okay babe," Draco said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "This is a good thing."

"Yeah," she said, sporting a large, happy smile when she turned to face him.

"So… about that party," he said, grinning. "No t hat you've got no one to miss you at home, how can you decline?"

"I guess I can't," she grinned back, kissing him softly.

***

"Minister?" Ish called, knocking on his door.

"Come in," he replied offhandedly as he shifted through stacks of paper.

Ish opened the door and poked her head in. "Sir, there's a woman here who says you were friends at Hogwarts. Susan Bones? She says it's urgent. Shall I let her in?"

Harry set the handful of papers down on the desk and looked up with a curt nod. A moment later, a short red head entered the office and pushed the door closed behind her.

"What is it?" he asked

"We have a bit of a problem sir."

***

"What do you think?" Hermione asked, twirling around in the emerald green floor length dress he'd supplied for her.

"Fabulous," he replied. "But…"

"But what?" she asked as he reached for his wand.

"It could use some adjustment," he said, flicking the wand in her general direction. The dress tightened dramatically, highlighting her curves. The neck lowered to a point that almost made the fabric pointless.

"I'm not a two cent whore," she said, reaching for her own wand and fixing the neckline so she wouldn't look like she was asking for it from every man at this party.

"Naw, but you could be," he said, earning a glare from her. "You almost ready?"

"Yep," she said, letting her hair down and fluffing it a little. Then she turned away from the mirror and smiled brilliantly at him.

"Perfect," he said. "Every person at that party will be jealous."

***

"So this gathering," Hermione started as they approached the mansion. "Who's throwing it?"

"Alecto Carrow," he said.

"Oo, the Death Eater-"

"Not so loud," he interrupted.

"Why?" she asked, jokingly. "You guys planning some world domination thing or something?"

"Or something," he replied distractedly. She gave him a curious look, trying to figure out if he was serious or not, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Who are you looking for?" she asked finally.

He paused a moment, then began the drag her though the crowds, occasionally introducing her to acquaintances. Then he led her into an empty library.

"My goodness," she gaped. "This library is _huge_," she said, looking around in awe.

"Quiet," he whispered, scanning the titles along one wall.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly.

"This whole party," he replied, also in a whisper. "Is a front." He seemed to find the title he wanted and pulled it off the shelf. The adjacent wall slid open to reveal a long, narrow passageway. "We gathered several former Death Eaters and sympathizers for a meeting. All the people you just saw out there, were just rich figureheads that make for a good cover, in case anything goes wrong."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, letting out a breath as they continued down the tunnel.

"Because we need you," a new voice said. Hermione looked up, shocked. Standing before her was none other than Alecto Carrow, one of the few remaining of the high ranking former Death Eaters.

"You _need_ me?" Hermione asked, confused. "What for?"

"You have an in with the Minister," she replied.

"That's a serious understatement," Draco muttered.

"Quiet Draco," Alecto hissed. "No one asked your opinion."

"You want me to spy on the Minister?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"Draco tells me you are perfectly capable of joining us in our rise to power."

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond. She was surrounded by dozens of former Death Eaters. What was she supposed to say?

"You do want power, don't you?" the woman asked. "With us, you could be so powerful. Like you wouldn't believe. So what do you say?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Sure," she shrugged.

"Easier than I thought," one of the Death Eaters muttered.

"Just one thing though," Hermione added.

"And what is that dear?"

"Just… tell me, honestly… did you really think I would fall for that? I mean, I spent six months helping repair all the damage you guys caused in the Second War. You honestly think I'd just join you? You are more stupid than I thought."

Draco looked at her, face filled with shock and pain as the Death Eaters around them drew their wands.

Hermione lifted her wand from a hidden fold in the dress and pointed it at Alecto.

"What do you think you're going to do, huh little girly?" Alecto asked. "You're surrounded."

"Actually," Hermione corrected. "_You're_ surrounded."

At that moment, a dozen puffs of white smoke appeared around the room. The smoke dissipated, leaving Aurors in white robes in their wake.

"You think a handful of children can stop us?" Alecto spat angrily. "You underestimate us."

"I think it's you who underestimates us," a tall blonde woman said, taking a step forward. Alecto then threw the first spell.

Spells were going off all around him, but he didn't seem to notice. Everything around him was fading away. He realized now.

He _was _being followed. Constantly. Hermione, his love, was spying on him. The blonde woman he'd thought was following him earlier that day, the same woman in a jogging suit that had been talking to herself in the park, the same woman standing in the room now, she'd been following him. The leggy woman who was constantly at the café he frequented, she was here now too. The waitress, the red head he'd thought had looked familiar, she was there. The man walking his dog in the park, him as well.

Nearly a year of his life was just a lie. How had he let this happen?

Suddenly he hit the ground, completely immobilized.

"Sorry Drake-y," Hermione said in a lovey dovey voice, now standing over him. "I honestly didn't think you'd be this easy."

***

"Don't you wish you had their job?" Ish asked as she and Harry watched the group of white cloaked Aurors bring in a gaggle of Death Eaters.

"Nope," he said, shaking his head as Tonks approached from his right. "Not at all."

"Reports say thirteen of them got away," she informed him.

"They did good," Harry said after a moment, having counted sixteen Death Eaters in their custody.

***

"Fred, please," Hermione begged, following him around the apartment.

"No Hermione," he replied hotly. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"Then listen. Please!"

"Why? Why should I listen to anything you have to say after I find you with _him_?"

"Because it was all a lie!" she shouted. "It was the mission!"

He stopped and turned to her.

"Mission?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"We're not allowed to tell anyone," she began. "Ever. But Harry figured after what happened, he'd pull a few strings. But you have to promise not to tell _anyone_. Not even George."

"Tell anyone what?"

Hermione took a deep breath and began. "When Harry took over as Minister of Magic, he and Tonks started a program within the Department of Aurors. The best of the best, the elite. He needed people to go undercover, to find and capture the remaining Death Eaters. To stop them from electing a new leader and starting over. I am a member of that group."

"What are you talking about Hermione?" he asked. "You own a bookstore."

"That's just a cover. I mean, I do own a bookstore, and I work there about three days a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. My real job is within the Ministry. What you saw in the part yesterday was just one of my missions."

"It was your mission to snog Malfoy?"

"It was my mission to infiltrate the organization he was working with. He was the most accessible member. You think I wanted to spend eight months pretending I loved him?"

"Eight months?!"

"Fred," she begged.

He sighed, then pulled her into an embrace.

"I'm still mad at you," he said into her hair.

She let out a breath she'd been holding far too long.

"I'm still mad at me too."


	3. Lace

Two women sat in the waiting room of the Minister's office. The first was a tall and white with dark brown hair and an angry look on her face as she tapped her foot anxiously on the ground. The second was just a tall, with similarly dark hair, but with mocha skin.

"This is ridiculous," the first said angrily.

"Calm down," the second said boredly, picking at a chipped nail.

"No, I will not calm down. Why should I calm down when we're being denied access to the Minister-"

"Because said Minister would not approve of you killing his new assistant," the second offered.

"I must apologize again," the assistant said. "The Minister said he did not wish to be bothered unless it was a life or death situation."

"And what makes you so sure this isn't a life or death situation?" the first asked, jumping out of her seat.

"Can I help you?" a new voice asked.

With a sigh of relief, she turned to the Minister. "Thank _God,_" she said as she and the black woman followed him into his office. She shot one last glare at the assistant before slamming the door closed and locking it.

"I apologize," he told them, taking a seat and motioning for them to do the same. "She's only been here a few months. Hasn't quite figured out all the ins and outs."

"It's alright Harry," the second woman said.

"Oh yes," the first muttered. "Everything's just peachy."

"I sense some hostility," Harry said.

"Well, we may have a bit of a problem. Lace is missing."

Harry let out a sigh. "What happened?"

"She was in Cardiff on mission. Royal, Sienna and Emerald were all with her. Then something weird happened. Royal has severe burns, Sienna's had some sort of tickling spell put on her, she's going blue in the face from all the laughing and Emerald is having a bit of trouble forming intelligible sentences. Magenta's taking care of them now, but Lace has disappeared. We can't find any trace of her."

"And what do you want from me?"

"Access to the Apparation platform down in the Department of Mysteries," she stated.

"Absolutely not." The Minister shook his head. "That transporter is completely experimental. I can't allow you to use it before it's gone through adequate testing."

"So you'd rather us just let Lace die?" the paler of the two exclaimed. "Let this be the test. It's the only option we have."

"What if it doesn't work? Worse, what if it kills one of you? It's too big a risk."

"So you'd rather just let her die? You're Harry Fucking Potter. Let us take this risk. You know it's worth it."

Harry sighed and reached for a piece of parchment and a quill. He quickly scribbled a note, then signed and sealed it.

"Give this to Michael Kenmore on level thirteen. He'll lead you to it." He handed them the envelope and escorted them to the door. Once he saw them out of the waiting area, he turned to his assistant and said, "You will find that there are certain people whose need to speak with me overrides my wish to not be interrupted. Those are two of them," then returned to his office.

(Elite)

She awoke slowly, her vision blurry. She blinked, allowing time for her eyes to focus on the unfamiliar surroundings. She tried to move, but her hands and feet were bound to the stanchion behind her.

"Hello?" she whimpered, her voice cracking. Where was she? What had happened?

"Hello," a genderless voice growled in return.

With a sharp intake of breath, she looked around, terror in her eyes. "Who are you?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

"We know what you are," the voice growled, ignoring her question.

"What are you _talking_ about?" she cried, looking around frantically.

"We know what you are," the voice repeated.

A moment later, a figure appeared before her. A female. Tall. Black hair. Angry.

"What do you want from me," the girl begged.

"See this," the woman said, her voice no longer a growl, as she ran her finger along a long scar on her face. "You and your little friends did this."

"What?" the girl asked. "I don't know what you're talking about. I work at an ice cream parlor in London. I've never seen you before."

"They call you Lace, yes?" the terrifying woman stated, running her finger along the girl's face mirroring the scar on her own face. "I've always been curious as to why. My name is Alecto, if you were curious, but I'm sure you already knew that, seeing that you've been following me for months."

"What are you talking about?" she exclaimed once more.

"Don't try me little girl," Alecto spat. "I know about you and you're little group of _Elite_. I'm not stupid."

"What? Elite? What are you talking about?"

"_The Elite_," she spat once more. "Don't tell me you've never heard of your own organization?"

"Are you talking about that article in the Quibbler?" she girl cried. "That was totally bogus. Everyone knows that the Quibbler is a bunch of craziness."

"I'm not talking about a _bogus_ story. I'm talking about the organization that took down half a room of Death Eaters without breaking so much as a sweat. _Crucio_."

(Elite)

_A kiss to her forehead left a burning cold residue, her last memory of him._

_The child's wide blue eyes stare up into the eyes of her father._

_"Good night darling," he said, kissing her forehead lightly. "Sweet dreams."_

_"You'll be back in the morning?" she asked, sitting up._

_"I've got some work to take care of tonight," he told her. "I'm not sure how long it will take. I should be back by lunch at the latest."_

_She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Promise?" she asked._

_"Promise," he said again. "Now lie down. Go to sleep."_

_"What if I have bad dreams?" she asked, sitting up once more. "And you're not here to make them go away."_

_"Mummy's just down the hall. She can make the bad things go away," he assured her._

_She gave him a skeptic look._

_"Fine then," he said with a shrug. "You're going to have terrible dreams. Full of monsters and clowns and its not gonna have any happy things like bunnies and unicorns and rainbows."_

_"Daddy," she said, giving him a look that clearing said 'you're kidding, right?'_

_"What?" he asked, smiling._

_"Unicorns are dumb."_

_"I suppose you'd say that to the face of one you met, if you ever did?"_

_"Well, why not? They bleed silver for Merlin's sake."_

_Her father laughed. "Go to sleep sweetie. I'll see you tomorrow." He stood up as she lied back down._

_Her dreams that night were plagued with bunnies and unicorns and rainbows. But it wasn't a happy dream. The unicorns were a terrible shade of black, their faces skeletal, their eyes burning through her soul. She wore a white dress. It glowed almost impossibly._

_She was on an adventure. To capture the terrible unicorns and stop them from taking over the world._

_She had friends, helping her, but they were nothing to her. Meaningless. The only thing in the dream that seemed to have any importance in her mind, was the brown rabbit that rested on her shoulder through her journey. He never spoke, but it was as though he was constantly reassuring her, that everything would be alright, that no matter what happened, he'd always be there, no matter what happened._

_She woke the next morning with a terrible feeling in her gut. Something was wrong._

_"Sweetie," her mothers voice said when the child had entered the kitchen for breakfast._

_She did not respond. She had nothing to say._

_"Sweetie, I have some bad news." What a terrible way to start the conversation._

_But, honestly, was there a good way to tell your seven year old daughter her father was dead?_

_She did not speak for days. Days turned into weeks. When she finally did speak again, all she said was "Can I get a bunny?"_

_(Elite)_

"Are you ready to talk now?" Alecto asked, lifting the curse off her.

"I'm telling you," she cried. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Alecto ignored her. "Your father was an Auror, too, wasn't he?"

No answer.

"How did he die again?"

Still no response from Lavender.

"Oh yeah," Alecto said smugly. "I killed him. _Crucio._"

___(Elite)_

_A kiss to the cheek that tells her that this is all they were._

_"Hey Lavender," Ron Weasley said, sitting down next to her. They were alone in the common room now, everyone had gone up to bed._

_"Hi Ron," she replied. Not 'Won-Won' or any other nickname she knew he found greatly annoying. Just Ron. She knew what was happening. She was optimistic, not stupid._

_"Listen, I just-"_

_"We're through," she said. "You don't have to make it sound like it's the end of the world."_

_Ron was clearly surprised. He hadn't expected her to make things so easy on him._

_"Yeah," he said, rising back up to his feet. He looked as though he had something more to say._

_"What," she asked._

_He paused a moment. "Goodbye" he finally said, kissing her cheek briefly._

___(Elite)_

"How about now?" Alecto asked. "Do you have anything to say?"

"I don't know anything!" she cried for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Fine. But I hope you realize, it's only so long before I wear you down. It will happen. If you're as strong as your organization suggests, there might not be much left of you when I do, but I assure you, I will get what I want from you. _Crucio._"

_(Elite)_

_A kiss to her lips that held no meaning._

_The school had changed. Snape had become Headmaster, Death Eaters were teaching classes. It was horrible._

_They had formed a resistance group. All the old DA members that hadn't been kicked out of school mostly._

_Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger hadn't returned to school that year. The rumor was that they were searching for something to bring down Voldemort. Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood had become the leaders of their resistance._

_There had been a meeting in the Room of Requirement. It had become their sanctuary. She had almost spent more time there than she did anywhere else. She wasn't leaving with the others. Not yet. She needed to be alone._

_She conjured a beanbag chair in her mind and plopped down into it._

_"Are you alright?" a voice asked her, as the last of the group left the room, leaving her alone with Luna._

_"I hate this," she said angrily. "I hate that I can't walk around my school, my home without feeling like I'm on the verge of dying."_

_She was standing now, yelling at Luna, who had done nothing wrong._

_Luna just stared at her a moment, an odd expression on her face. Then she leaned forward and kissed Lavender._

_For a moment, all she could do was stand there in shock. By the time she realized what was happening, Luna had pulled away._

_"What was that for?" Lavender asked._

_Luna shrugged. "Mostly to point out that I'm not the one you should be getting mad at." With that, she skipped off to the exit._

_Lavender momentarily wondered why the girl couldn't just _say_ that, but then she remembered, this was Luna Lovegood_.

_(Elite)_

Alecto had left after each round of torture, leaving her to contemplate giving in.

After the forth or fifth round, she couldn't remember which, someone entered the room. Her vision was fuzzy with a mixture of tears and blood, she couldn't make out the face of the person now in the room with her.

"Lace?" the voice, a female, asked softly.

She did not respond.

"Lace, are you okay?"

Still she remained silent. Perhaps she could no longer talk.

"It's okay, I'm gonna get you out of here. Don't worry." The girl began to undo the binding holding her in place.

"Who are you?" Lavender asked, pulling her hands from the bindings and rubbing her raw wrists.

The girl giggled. "It's me silly," the girl said in a manner that reminded her of Luna. Lavender blinked several times, trying to focus. It wasLuna.

Except it wasn't.

"No you're not," Lavender said.

"What are you talking about? Of course it's me. Who else would I be?"

"One of the Death Eaters."

"Leave," Alecto's voice came.

"But-" _Luna_ began.

"You had your shot, I told you it wouldn't work, it's hasn't, leave." Once the Luna impersonator left, Alecto re-bound Lavender to the pillar. "You're better than we had anticipated. Will you answer my questions now?"

"I would," she began. "If I knew what you were talking about."

Alecto smiled cruelly. "_Crucio._"

_(Elite)_

_A kiss to the back of her hand that reminded her he was still there._

_This was it. This was the last stand. Everyone important was there. What remained of the Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix, all of the teachers, the DA. Everyone she knew was there. Fighting for their lives._

_This could easily be the end. She'd already watched a dozen of the good guys die. A dozen too many. She could be next._

_Anything could go wrong. Someone could screw up and Voldemort would win. That would be the end. He would have won and there was nothing anyone could do about it._

_"Hey Lav," a voice greeted, appearing at her side. Seamus Finnegan. She couldn't help but smile as they began fighting eight Death Eaters now coming for them._

_"Hey Seamus," she said back, throwing a spell at a dark haired woman. "How's it going?"_

_He shrugged, fending off Finrir Greyback. "You know, not bad. You?"_

_"Pretty good considering," she answered with a shrug. Several of the Death Eaters fighting them veered away, finding a more interesting target of Nymphadora Tonks, leaving them only with the dark haired woman, Alecto Carrow._

_"You can't win," The Death Eater said cockily. "You're just children. You won't win. Avada Kedavra!"_

_Seamus stepped in the path of the curse at the last second, saving Lavender. Everything slowed down as Mad-eye Moody attacked the witch and Seamus fell into Lavender's arms._

_"Seamus!" she cried, tears falling down her face. He smiled up at her as the held his hand tightly._

_"Goodbye," he whispered, kissing her hand lightly before his eyes fell shut and his body limp._

_"No!" she cried, sobbing into his chest._

_But it was no use, he was gone._

_"Come on," a voice said. She looked up. Standing before her, covered in dirt and blood, was Luna Lovegood. "Now is not the time to mourn. We have to win this first." She held out a hand, which Lavender took with little hesitation._

_Luna was right. This wasn't a time for mourning. This was the time for payback._

___(Elite)_

"Still not ready to talk?" Alecto asked, lifting the curse off her.

Lavender's head hung limply for a moment, recovering from the effects of the curse. When she finally lifted it, her expression was not as it had been. Her eyes no longer held confusion and fear and pain, but anger and sadness.

"Oh," Alecto said, feeling rather accomplished. "Perhaps you are ready to talk."

Lavender smiled maliciously, as she pulled her hands from the binding she'd magically loosened.

For a moment, Alecto looked fearful, but the expression changed at Lavender reached for her wand. "What are you going to do without your wand, huh little girl?"

Lavender did not seem to think the absence of her wand was a hindering as Alecto seemed to believe. She lifted on of her hands and the woman was flown into the closest wall.

Startled, she clambered to her feet, angry. "There's only so far wandless magic can get you. _Crucio!_"

_(Elite)_

_A kiss to the nose that said I love you._

_She woke to a faint smell of peppermint. She smiled as she sniffed the air and climbed out of bed, slipped on a pair of purple slippers, and made her way into the kitchen._

_"Morning," her partner greeted happily, flipping her blonde hair as she turned. "Peppermint coffee?"_

_"'Course," she answered with a yawn._

_"Sleep well?" she asked as Lavender joined her at the counter._

_"Never better."_

_"Good," she said with a smile as she passed her a mug. She kissed Lavender on the nose and turned back to the refrigerator, where she continued to search for something that could be considered edible for breakfast._

_Lavender knew what it meant. It was a simple, silly gesture, but she knew it meant more._

_The worst part was, she wasn't sure she felt the same._

_(Elite)_

She let out a cry of pain was Alecto lifted the curse once more. Before she could say another word, she flung Carrow across the room, into another wall.

At that moment, there was a faint _crack_ as two figures materialized before her.

"Oh, now you show up," Lavender said, spitting a mouthful of blood to the ground. "Couldn't have come, oh, a week ago."

Saffron rolled her eyes as Midnight walked over to the now unconscious figure of Alecto Carrow and bound her down.

"How many others are there?" Saffron asked.

Lace shook her head. "I don't know. It's just been her torturing me. There was one who tried to trick me, but she was disguised, so I don't know what she looked like."

There was a faint crack as they made their way to the door to capture whoever else might have been there. All three turned instinctively.

Alecto was gone.

_(Elite)_

"How'd we do?" the minister asked, not looking up from his paperwork as Tonks entered his office.

"Okay," she said. "Everyone is home, safe and sound."

"Sounds like a good thing to me," Harry said.

"I suppose."

"So what's the problem?"

"They were only able to capture one of the Death Eaters. He was a nobody, just a servant. Alecto got away again."

"We'll get her another time," he said. "It's not the end of the world."


End file.
